WELCOMING AND WARM DIVERSIONS

A CONVERSATION WITH DAN MANGAN

Way back in the days of Myspace an emerging young musician named Dan Mangan commented on a song embedded on my profile as being one of the most beautiful things he’d ever heard. I had only just started hearing murmurs of his music, but it was still neat to receive a nod about my own musical tastes from someone who seemed destined to create a lot of his own beautiful music.

Fast forward 15 years and this destiny has come to fruition. With five albums and a few EPs, endless sold out gigs the world over, musical scoring for a movie and some television, a couple of Juno’s placed upon the shelf, a marriage, and 2 children to boot, to say that Dan Mangan feels fortunate is rather an understatement.

I was lucky enough to speak with Dan recently. Holed away in a studio at Toronto’s Arts & Crafts publishing we both seem a bit tired but after a hot second of apprehension we’re talking his new album, More Or Less, world tours, and the people who make it happen. “So, I’ve been in Toronto rehearsing with this new band and it’s been going so well.” Dan shares, “I’ve never just sat with a full production set up for a few days and been able to really dig in to the nitty-gritty of rehearsing. This is very focused and quite a bit more arranged, but Joey Waronker, Jason Falkner, and Darrell Thorp are all such beautiful players that the songs sound so alive and open to deviation. Sometimes you try to carry samples or sounds onto the stage and you end up boxing yourself into having to play it exactly how it appears on the album. This time we’re able to allow the songs to be a bit different every night, yet still incorporate the elements that make the songs unique.”

MORE OR LESS ALBUM REVIEW

More Or Less is definitely different from past releases. In the time spent raising children and being domestic, Dan was able to settle into growing older and not being a rock star. I think the soft landing has been beneficial because More Or Less is a departure but still familiar. While it hearkens back to his solo songwriting days the terrain is much more world aware, be it the joy of finding your perfect partner, the tenderness of holding a newborn, or the urgency of living and raising children in a cold and messy world. “I do feel that this record is something that the world could enjoy more. While it’s more weird, it’s also more accessible. The songs are warmer, more earnest, more personal. I’m proud that the tenderness came through, as well as the political and social criticism.”

This is also a record in which Mangan was more hands off. Producer Drew Brown had a clear vision in mind and Dan let him have it. “I had asked him for that forthrightness, handed him the keys and said, “here you go man. I trust your tastes. You drive this bus and lets see where it gets us.” Where it got them was into a more open and bare space that invited warmth, allowing vocals, lyrics, and instrument to be wholly united as opposed to the music being the vessel for Mangans’ words and voice. Dan was also pushed to scale back as well as explore his vocals more. “I think that he found a unique way of capturing my essence and what I bring to the table.” He says, “Without degrading that or letting it slip away he managed to push me into places I’d have never found otherwise. One of those things that he captured was restraint. I’d listen back to bed tracks and think there were so many things I could add and he’d just say, “No….I think it’s good where it’s at, i don’t think we need anymore” and so I trusted his judgement. It was a beautiful experience, making this record. Just to be transplanted into this world where I didn’t really belong, yet feeling like I received nothing but welcoming and warm diversions.”

Dan Mangan’s More Or Less Tour is at The Danforth Music Hall in Toronto tonight (SOLD OUT).Event details can be found HERE.

It took the recommendation of a best friend to get me into the pages of music magazine writing. Armed with the deepest appreciation for all the music, a ridiculous sense of humour, and the apparent ability to string a few words together, these fingers started giving. Who knew it would become one of my favourite things many years later and that I'd enjoy seeing my works published the world over?!